Emirates becomes latest fashion in Spain
Emirates, the international airline of the United Arab Emirates, is to start flights to Madrid, providing the only scheduled passenger service between Dubai and Spain.
The daily, non-stop service begins from 1st August, making the Spanish capital the carrier's 25th destination in Europe.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, said: "The new Madrid route is particularly significant because we will provide the only scheduled passenger service between Dubai and Spain. It will also give passengers out of Spain much easier access to our international hub in Dubai, where they can travel onwards to popular destinations in Asia and the Far East. If there is one route that we have been repeatedly asked about in recent years, it is Spain, so I believe we will make a lot of people very happy with this announcement."
EK flight 141 will depart Dubai at 0725hrs and arrive in Madrid at 1320hrs. The return flight, EK 142, leaves Madrid at 1615hrs, getting into Dubai at 0105hrs the following day. The route will be served by an A330-200, offering 12 seats in First Class, 42 in Business and 183 in Economy.
There are already strong trade links between Spain and Dubai, particularly in the field of fashion, supported by Emirates' SkyCargo, which flies to the Spanish city of Zaragoza. The UAE has been listed as a priority fashion market by the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), and the list of Spanish brands found in Dubai's shopping malls is extensive.
Bershka, Zara, Stradivarius, Oysho, Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, Mango, 13 Búho Street, Pepe Jeans, Pablosky and Camper, Loewe, Carrera y Carrera, Cortefiel, Pedro del Hierro, Tuc Tuc, Women’s Secret and Manolo Blahnik are amongst the many distractions for fashion-inclined shoppers.
In 2008, Spanish clothing exports to the UAE were worth AED 428 million (USD 116 million), while overall trade was worth more than AED 3.6 billion (USD 1 billion), according to the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in the UAE.
In all, Emirates SkyCargo has two weekly Boeing 747 freighter flights to Zaragoza, each offering 120 tonnes of cargo capacity. Textiles, electronics, other consumer goods and perishables such as fish are carried into Spain. Dubai-bound, the commodities include finished garments, manufactured goods and spare parts for the car industry.
Spain, with a population of more than 45 million, is one of the most visited countries in the world. In 2007, nearly 60 million tourists arrived in Spain, making the country the second destination for world tourism, according to Spanish government figures.
Madrid is the fourth destination to be announced by Emirates for 2010 after Tokyo, Amsterdam and Prague.
There are currently more than 100 Spanish staff working for the Emirates Group, most of whom are cabin crew. The Emirates' cabin crew recruitment team will return to Spain on 30th January after previous visits to Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Malaga. Interested candidates can find more details via emiratesgroupcareers.com.
